Beavers, a keystone species in our valley
be a beaver believer
In Alberta, we have already lost over 65 percent of our non-boreal wetlands due to draining and infilling and are just beginning to understand the more complex bogs and fens within our boreal region. Beavers play an important role in creating and maintaining Canada’s wetlands and yet not many Albertans know that the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) was essentially extirpated from Alberta during fur trade times and had to be reintroduced to Elk Island national park in 1941. Imagine losing one of our most brilliant engineers and eco-system providers. When a beaver slaps the water with its tail it’s a cautionary tale, a reminder to pay attention to our non human kin and appreciate our interdependence.
Beaver’s transform a landscape in functional and even artistic ways. By constructing intricate dams and lodges, beavers improve landscape hydrology and provide countless benefits to our shared environments including flood control, water filtration and downstream erosion control. Ultimately, the presence of beavers shapes the entire ecosystem, fostering biodiversity and enhancing the resilience of riparian habitats. Should you ever hear someone refer to a beaver as a pest ask them if they might be clever enough to find a way to cohabitate for the benefit of everyone. Ask them to watch the link above or read some of the links below.
Additional reading:
Eager by Ben Goldfarb
Beaver Manifesto by Glynnis Hood
And when you are ready to fully acknowledge the beaver your ready to watch this video by Ryan Firstdiver (then named Ryan Heavyhead.
Have you ever noticed an area where beavers have chewed and chopped? In our valley, beavers cut fast-growing trees, deciduous stuff like poplar, willow, cottonwood and alder. Although the felling of these trees may appear destructive, such culling often results in more, bushier growth next spring. For example, each willow stump may resprout three to four new stems, while poplars tend to regrow from their roots. If the beavers then use the branches from the old trees for a dam that creates a wetland, great benefits can result, such as water cleansing, erosion abatement, flood control, and more biodiversity. Go Beav.
Dam we love Edmonton’s river valley.
Before this, ERVCC had never seen a beaver dam on the North Saskatchewan. This one is from the south bank right across to an island. This picture was taken in November of 2023.
World’s Largest Beaver Dam(yes it is in Canada)
Discovered via satellite, this half-mile-long structure deep in our northern forest is a testament to the rodent’s resilience. The Tyee has provided a lovely story. The story also talks about the endangered nature of Wood Buffalo Park and interviews friend of ERVCC, Gillian Chow-Fraser, boreal program manager for the northern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
…”she talked about a recent tailings basin leak that was not reported to the First Nations downstream of it for nine months. In places that used to flood regularly but now don’t, the land is drying out and vegetation disappearing. Though she criss-crosses the park, she has never seen the world’s largest beaver dam, but she’s grateful that it’s there and bringing the park attention.”